Slaking (BW2 Revamp) [QC 3/3] (GP 2/2)

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[Overview]

<p>With a physicalan Attack stat higher than that of Groudon, Zekrom, and Rayquaza, a respectable Speed tier, and a beefy base 150 HP stat combined with awesome coverage moves such as Earthquake, (remove comma)and Night Slash, itSlaking looks just like a top-tier Uber threat. That is, until you spot the ability Truant; unfortunately for Slaking, it is probably the single worst ability in the entire game, and unfortunately for Slaking, it recieved said ability. Because of Truant, Slaking becomes huge setup fodder for dangerous sweepers. It also guarentees that Slaking has no way of sweeping any team, even in late gamelate-game. With such a let-downletdown of an ability, Slaking is rather challenging to use. That said, it can and will KO at least one of your team members if it gets a free switch-in, and you don't have a counter up your sleeve.</p>

<p>Even though Slaking's ability lets it down quite a bit, it can still fill a role with its flagship hit and run strategy. This is because BW2 NU is a fast-paced metagame, so even though staying in more than a single turn is usually a terrible idea for Slaking, it can still effectively use that turn to deal out massive damage with a Choice Band-boosted hit, due to Truant, staying in for more than a single turn is usually a terrible idea. A Choice Band set is therefore the best option in a fast-paced metagame like BW2 NU, as said item allows Slaking to perform it's hit and run strategy to optimized effect. Thanks to its powerful STAB move alongside its coverage moves, there are not many Pokemon in the NU tier that appreciate taking a hit from a Choice Banded Slaking, and with Pursuit, it can even outspeed and checkmate Jynx and Haunter.</p>

<p>Return is, more often than not, the STAB move of choice, as it has a stellar Base Power combined with no drawbacks at all. Earthquake is the main coverage move, as it hits Rock- and Steel-types (add comma)thatwhich resist Return, for super effective damage. Night Slash rounds off the simple, yet efficient coverage. Without Night Slash, Ghost typesGhost-types such as Misdreavus, Haunter, and Golurk would easily be able to switch into Slaking safely. When it comes to choosing a move for the last spot, Pursuit is by far the preferred option, even though Retaliate maymight be more effective for Slaking's hit and run strategy. Pursuit will swiftly take out fleeing Psychic- and Ghost-types, most notably Jynx, which is outsped. Retaliate is great for revenge killing, as very few Pokemon willcan switch into a boosted Retaliate and survive.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Using a Jolly nature is important to outpace common NU Pokemon such as Jynx, Kangaskhan, and Primeape. An alternative to Choice Band would be Choice Scarf, as it can deal with Choice Scarf variants of said Pokemon, as well as outpacing faster Pokemon such as Scolipede and Serperior.</p>

<p>Considering how easy it is to set up on an immoblized immobilized Slaking, it is important to carry counters to common NU setup sweepers of NU, as otherwise they could just sweep you. Choice Scarf Jynx and Rotom-S are great teammates for Slaking, as they can deal with Carracosta, Scolipede, and Gorebyss even after said Pokemon have used their setup moves. Encore(this seemed redundant since you mention Prankster Encore later in the sentence) Liepard is another examplesolid choice, as it can switch in on the predicted Substitute or stat-boosting move, (remove comma) and force the opponent to switch with its Prankster Encore. Musharna and Misdreavus have good defensive synergy with Slaking, and they can switch into threatening Fighting-type moves that threaten Slakingit. Offensive or Defensive Pivotsand defensive pivots such as Eelektross and Musharna are great to build up momentum, (remove comma) and potentially give Slaking a free switch-in to dish out huge amounts of damage.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Slaking really does not have many other notably great items or moves. It has three alternative STAB options; Double-Edge, Body Slam, and Giga Impact. Double-Edge is very similar to Return, (remove comma) but has higher Base Power, and sincebecause Slaking has such a huge HP stat, the recoil will not be doing all that much to it. IfHowever if you run Double-Edge, be sureyou will have to run Shadow Claw over Night Slash, as Double-Edge and Night Slash are illegal on any same set. Body Slam is nice for extra utility alongside Pursuit, as the 30% paralysis chance could win you the game. Unfortunately, it could also lose you a game if it fails to KO a Pokemon, (remove comma) that Return or Double-Edge would. When it comes to Giga Impact, it is generally a bad idea, as you could end up getting swept any second. It mayGiga Impact might seem to fit perfectly with it'sSlaking's ability and item, but Giga Impactit forces youSlaking to stay in after attacking, making it an extremely riskfulrisky option, and should therefore almost never be used.</p>

<p>For coverage moves, Sucker Punch is a neat option, but it is also a risky moveone, especially when playing around potential Substitutes or setup moves, as Slaking will becomeit makes Slaking even easier to set up on. Other than that, Slaking has many coverage moves that it really does not need; Fire Punch, Low Kick, and Ice Punch are all options, but Slaking's main coverage moves will usually do the job much better. A few special attacks, most notably Thunderbolt and Fire Blast, will help Slaking break through the tough physical walls; most notably, Thunderbolt and Fire Blast help it get past Alomomola and Tangela respective to said moves. Encore could be an option to deal with slower setup sweepers, such as Swords Dance Pinsir. When it comes to different sets, the only real other setone that might work would be a Bulk Up + Slack Off set, but due to Slaking's horrible Special Defense stat and an ability, (remove comma)whichthat makes it hard to stay in even 2two turns, it is almost impossible to pull off successfully.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The single best way to deal with Slaking is Protect. If you have a Pokemon with Protect against a Slaking, it is impossible for it to hit you at all. Therefore, Guts Pokemon such as Swellow and Ursaring willcan freely take advantage of Slaking's presence to activate their status orbs, while Slaking does nothing. But, there are many other ways to deal with Slaking.In addition to this, Tangela and Alomomola are ridiculously bulky on the physical side, (remove comma) and can easily avoid the OHKO from any of Slaking's moves. They can then put it to sleep or stall it respectively. Rock- and Steel-types such as Golem and Metang can easily take any STAB move, (remove comma) but should be afraid of Earthquake. Misdreavus is immune to Slaking's STAB moves and Earthquake, but Night Slash threatens it.</p>

<p>A different way of playing effectively around a Slaking is simply sacrificing an expendable Pokemon. After doing so, you recieve receive a completely free turn, (remove comma)andthat you can use it to your advantage extremely easily to set up for a sweep or place Stealth Rock. Beware of partners that Slaking hasBe aware of Slaking's partners though, as the Slakingit user should, and will often (add comma) be prepared for dangerous setup sweepers.</p>

<p>With an Attack stat higher than that of Groudon, Zekrom, and Rayquaza, a respectable Speed tier, and a beefy base 150 HP stat combined with awesome coverage moves such as Earthquake and Night Slash, Slaking looks like a top-tier Uber threat. That is, until you spot the ability Truant; it is probably the single worst ability in the entire game. Because of Truant, Slaking becomes huge setup fodder for dangerous sweepers. It also has no way of sweeping any team, even late-game. With such a letdown of an ability, Slaking is rather challenging to use. That said, it can and will KO at least one of your team members if it gets a free switch-in, in (RC) and you don't have a counter up your sleeve.</p>

<p>Even though Slaking's ability lets it down quite a bit, it can still fill a role with its flagship hit and -and-run strategy. This is because BW2 NU is a fast-paced metagame, so even though staying in more than a single turn is usually a terrible idea for Slaking, it can still effectively use that turn to deal out massive damage with a Choice Band-boosted hit. Thanks to its powerful STAB move alongside its coverage moves, there are not many Pokemon in the NU tier that appreciate taking a hit from a Choice Banded Slaking, and with Pursuit, it can even outspeed and checkmate Jynx and Haunter.</p>

<p>Return is, more often than not, the STAB move of choice, as it has stellar Base Power combined with no drawbacks at all. Earthquake is the main coverage move, as it hits Rock- and Steel-types, which resist Return, for super effective damage. Night Slash rounds off the simple, yet efficient coverage. Without Night Slash, Ghost-types such as Misdreavus, Haunter, and Golurk would easily be able to switch into Slaking safely. When it comes to choosing a move for the last spot, Pursuit is by far the preferred option, even though Retaliate might be more effective for Slaking's hit and -and-run strategy. Pursuit will swiftly take out fleeing Psychic- and Ghost-types, most notably Jynx, which is outsped. Retaliate is great for revenge killing, as very few Pokemon can switch into a boosted Retaliate and live to tell the tale.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Using a Jolly nature is important to outpace common NU Pokemon such as Jynx, Kangaskhan, and Primeape. An alternative to Choice Band would be Choice Scarf, as it can deal with Choice Scarf variants of said Pokemon, as well as outpacing faster Pokemon such as Scolipede and Serperior.</p>

<p>Considering how easy it is to set up on an immobilized Slaking, it is important to carry counters to common NU setup sweepers, as otherwise they could otherwise just sweep you. Choice Scarf Jynx and Rotom-S are great teammates for Slaking, as they can deal with Carracosta, Scolipede, and Gorebyss even after said Pokemon have used their setup moves. Liepard is another solid choice, as it can switch in on the predicted Substitute or stat-boosting move and force the opponent to switch with its Prankster Encore. Musharna and Misdreavus have good defensive synergy with Slaking, and they can switch into Fighting-type moves that threaten it. Offensive and defensive pivots, (AC) such as Eelektross and Musharna, (AC) are great to build up momentum and potentially give Slaking a free switch-in to dish out huge amounts of damage.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Slaking really does not have many other notably great items or moves. It has three alternative STAB options;: Double-Edge, Body Slam, and Giga Impact. Double-Edge is very similar to Return but has higher Base Power, and because Slaking has such a huge HP stat, the recoil will not be doing all that much to it. However if you run Double-Edge, you will have to run Shadow Claw over Night Slash, as Double-Edge and Night Slash are illegal on anythe same set. Body Slam is nice for extra utility alongside Pursuit, as the 30% paralysis chance could win you the game. Unfortunately, it could also lose you a game if it fails to KO a Pokemon that Return or Double-Edge would. Giga Impact might seem to fit perfectly with Slaking's ability and item, but it forces Slaking to stay in after attacking, making it an extremely risky option, and should therefore almost never be used.</p>

<p>For coverage moves, Sucker Punch is a neat option, but it is also a risky one, especially when playing around potential Substitutes or setup moves, as it makes Slaking even easier to set up on. Other than that, Slaking has many coverage moves that it really does not need; Fire Punch, Low Kick, and Ice Punch are all options, but Slaking's main coverage moves will usually do the job much better. A few special attacks will help Slaking break through tough physical walls; most notably, Thunderbolt and Fire Blast help it get past Alomomola and Tangela, respectively. Encore could be an option to deal with slower setup sweepers, such as Swords Dance Pinsir. When it comes to different sets, the only real other one that might work would be a set with Bulk Up +and Slack Off set, (AC) but due to Slaking's horrible Special Defense stat and an ability that makes it hard to stay in even two turns, it is almost impossible to pull off successfully.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The single best way to deal with Slaking is Protect. If you have a Pokemon with Protect against a Slaking, it is impossible for it to hit you at all. Guts Pokemon, (AC) such as Swellow and Ursaring, (AC) can freely take advantage of Slaking's presence to activate their status orbs, (RC) while Slaking does nothing. In addition to this, Tangela and Alomomola are ridiculously bulky on the physical side and can easily avoid the OHKO from any of Slaking's moves. They can then put it to sleep or stall it, (AC) respectively. Rock- and Steel-types such as Golem and Metang can easily take any STAB move but should be afraid of Earthquake. Misdreavus is immune to Slaking's STAB moves and Earthquake, but Night Slash threatens it.</p>

<p>A different way of playing effectively around a Slaking is simply sacrificing an expendable Pokemon. After doing so, you receive a completely free turn that you can easily use to your advantage extremely easily to set up for a sweep or place Stealth Rock. Be aware of Slaking's partners though, as the user should, and will often, be prepared for dangerous setup sweepers.</p>